Flare Sci-Fi Forums: Monarchy flame

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Posted by RW (Member # 27) on :

I feel like flaming tonight, flaming tonight, flaming tonight *moves arms up and down*

Monarchy is a leftover from ancient times, and highly undemocratic. SO WHY DO WE STILL HAVE A QUEEN?! Sheesh!

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

???

Partly because her parents knew little about birth control, and didn't care if they did.

One advantage with a Monarchy is, since no-one elected them to office, the embarrassment is far less personal if they make a laughing stock of themselves.

--Baloo

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Yo quiero Startrek!

Posted by bryce (Member # 42) on :

JERRY, JERRY, JERRY, JERRY, ect.

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Wheeelersburg Correctional Facility
Inmate #05301999

Posted by The Excalibur (Member # 34) on :

"It's good to be the King"

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Here I Come To Save The Day : Mighty Mouse

Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :

Why not keep the Queen, just for tradition? After all, she's not suppressing anyone anymore, and she doesn't live in luxury at the expense of her people anymore. At least, the monarchy doesn't usually consume much more funding than a president. What is a president useful for anyway? In countries that also have a prime minister (or chancellor) this guy (or lady) is only good for nice speeches.

Somehow I think that abolishing a monarchy is like demolishing old buildings. People are sad about it afterwards, but there's no way back (only exception: Spain).

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Brain. Brain. What is brain? (Kara the Eymorg, "Spock's Brain")
www.uni-siegen.de/~ihe/bs/startrek/

Posted by RW (Member # 27) on :

Our queen doesn't pay taxes, has a ridiculous amount of money and still receives more and more. If the queen orders goods from somewhere you're expected NOT to send a bill, that's not done. F that!

Presidents are useless too, but at least tHEy have to do something to become one!

Maybe I'm a left extremist, sorry.

Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :

AS Dictator, I will donate 50% of my salary to the Poor Trekker's Website Fund.

Happy?

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*I only SEEM Normal*

Posted by RW (Member # 27) on :

OKAY, okay, I'll quit moaning.

Posted by Diane (Member # 53) on :

Er...if she doesn't need to pay to "buy" things, why does she need a salary?

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"I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace, that two are called a law firm, and that three on the law become a Congress! And by God I have had this Congress!"
--John Adams, "1776"

Posted by RW (Member # 27) on :

er.. to feel rich?

Posted by Orion Syndicate (Member # 25) on :

The queen mother here has apparently run up an overdraft of �4 million by spending ludicrous amounts of money maintaining palaces that she only lives in for about 3 weeks every year. I don't mind the monarchy, but they need to learn how to reduce their spending because the taxpayer won't be happy to pay for them to keep their lifestyles forever.

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"YOU SMEG!"

Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :

RW: Would you allow Bea to stay if she paid taxes and promised to pay her bills?

Otherwise I would grant her asylum in Germany. That would be fair, since you hosted our Willi II.

> Presidents are useless too, but at least tHEy have to do something to become one!

Commonly that is delivering boooooring speeches.

Posted by DT (Member # 80) on :

I am going to kill the Queen of England!

Who is with me?

*hopes like hell that England doesn't have the kind of laws America has where it is illegal to say you're going to kill the head of state*

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Please don't put your life in the hands of a Rock n Roll band
Who'll throw it all away
So I start the revolution from my bed
Cos you said the brains I have went to my head -

Oasis

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

DT: I believe they do. It was nice knowing you!

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Carpe Canem!

Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :

well...technically the point of having a constitutional monarchy is that the elected head of government is separate from the head of state.

This means that the head of state (monarch) is above all the name calling that goes on in election, caucus meetings, etc. But more importantly, if your elected head of government (read: Bill Clinton) makes an ass of him/herself, the head of state can still meet with important foreign people witout being laughed at.

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

[Considers a moment...]

I hereby nominate myself for Head of State!

Any independent nation who wants someone who looks dignified in a suit (No, really! I do!), has a good command of the English language (and an abysmal command of any other language), knows some manners and can carry on an intelligent conversation, I'm your man!

I'll only require one suite of rooms in a large, history-filled building we can turn into a museum (more income for the national coffers, plus employment opportunities in abundance!), and I'll work for room, board, education expenses (well, you'd certainly want a monarch with a good education, now wouldn't you?), and spending money equivalent to the median income for your nation. I'll pay for things I like when I go shopping or do without. I'll pay taxes.

Really! If interested, have your state department contact our state department and work out the details. No third-world countries need apply (unless the position of President-for-life is open).

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Carpe Canem!

[This message was edited by Baloo on March 20, 1999.]

Posted by Chimaera on :

Actually, here in Canada the monarchy has quite an important constitutional role. The queen (or king) is the only one with the power to dissolve parliament and call new elections, and in extreme circumstances could do so against the prime minister's wishes. And, as others have said, it is an important piece of tradition and history.

And yes, the royal family in England is very wealthy (Queen Elizabeth II was the wealthiest woman in the world a while ago), but hey, so is the Vatican, and Bill Gates, and a whole pile of brats who inhereted it from their parents. That's the way the world works unfortunately. If you don't like it, vote Communist.

At least in Canada, we get our monarchy free courtesy of the British taxpayer (although we do pay for royal visits to Canada)

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"Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you."
-Commander Riker, USS Enterprise

Posted by DT (Member # 80) on :

Actually Chimaera, I vote socialist.

Baloo, I believe I will support your idea. However, I think it'd be better if you just took over once I kill the monarchs... somewhere. I forgot that the Windsors are actually German, and therefore DO have a right to rule. How about Kuwait? I think you'd be a good candidate for that job, lot of money in it...

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Please don't put your life in the hands of a Rock n Roll band
Who'll throw it all away
So I start the revolution from my bed
Cos you said the brains I have went to my head -

Oasis

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

Oh come on. The only people you hate more then me are socialists.

And kneebiters.

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"I'll turn everything around and confuse you. I'll fix it so you can't remember what was true."
--
They Might Be Giants

Posted by Orion Syndicate (Member # 25) on :

Treason is the only crime that warrants death according to the current laws of our land, so DT, see ya.

The queen could dissolve parliament if she wants, but she's a woman whose one official address to the nation at Christmas is a speech written by the government and plugs their achievements over the past year - she's extremely powerless.

When Charles went to Argentina a week or two ago, his speech was written by the Foreign office although they completely ballsed it up.

I think Blair has ambitions to become President(maybe). He's already atarted by changing the way the upper house is run. I wwouldn't be surprised if the monarchy is next to lose some more powers.

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"YOU SMEG!"